Different
by DanieSora
Summary: He was a puppet, a simple toy but he was different, so much different that he was afraid of letting that show but then a miracle happens. The young new puppet on the window starts moving. IvanxAlfred. Puppet AU. little drabble warnings: a kiss? oh well...


**Different**

**Puppets AU** | **IvanxAlfred** (side story Arthur/Francis) | **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters or puppets.

**Summary:** He was a puppet, a simple toy but he was different, so much different that he was afraid of letting that show but then a miracle happens. The young new puppet on the window starts moving and something changes.

* * *

Sitting on an old dusty shelf watching the big window was Ivan.

Ivan was the name the little girl gave him so many years ago when she bough him and took care of him. She was the girl who loved, hurt, fixed, abandoned and left him waiting on that dusty old shelf until now.

His name is Ivan and he's a puppet.

His hair is silvery and his skin rag is white as snow. He's a bit chubby and young-looking but he has the most distinct eyes, purple glowing hand-made eyes. He also had a big nose and flushed cheeks but the large scarf around his neck covered it.

His clothing consists in a long beige coat and no more but his limbs and details were made accurately and with the precision of an artisan in love.

He remembers that same artisan and the days he was made. He remembers how he used to listen the man talking and arguing with another man, both had distinct accents but they were different from each other. Soon he learned that his creator was English and the other man was French.

His ears were one of the first things his head had, or so he thinks, he can only remember how still and firm he kept himself afraid of what would happen.

He listened with fascination of a doll how the English man talked smoothly to him and cooed enchantments while moving him and touching him with precision and care.

The other man used to say he was crazy but was always giving tips when he was allowed on his office. He used to wonder and try to understand most things but he couldn't. A puppet never could understand the soft voices and noises, the angered ones, the shared tears and joys, he guesses. Sometimes he still wonders if a puppet like him can share such things.

He remembers when he received a nose. He was firm and quiet as ever listening intently and suddenly he could smell.

His creator smelled softly like rain and tea but the other man had a distinct smell of roses and perfume, on that day they fought about the colour of his eyes and he realised he had something new, a mouth.

That night he tried to say things but small grunts, noises and whines left his mouth leaving him discouraged but a huge change on his life would come on the next day.

He finally received eyes.

The first thing he saw was two huge eyebrows and a grinning mouth.

His creator was young-looking with yellowed teeth and a dishevelled look. His eyes were shining lively green and his lashes were light brown as his hair.

Ivan kept immobile and staring to a point in front of him while seeing the man looking him around correcting, fixing and creating new things.

His calloused hands worked expectedly and quickly and he could see how concentrate the man acted.

The other man was also young-looking but had deep blue eyes and hair on his face. His skin was cleaner and smoother looking than the other man's skin and his hair was longer and shinier. Ivan now realised why the man complained about how attractive the man was. He guesses that he was almost puppet like himself.

When the man was done they cheered and shared a kiss before pulling him into an old bag and sell it to a store.

The store was huge, suffocating and dark. It had many dolls, puppets, toys and Ivan could almost _feel_ excitement with that. He wanted friends, he wanted to learn more, to see and talk with someone. Perhaps share a life like those two men did.

He was very disappointed, sad and lonely when he realised he was the only puppet able of moving and talking so he never moved or talked again.

He simply gazed everything around and kept wondering about the world afraid of moving.

The store was very cold and lonely. He spent his days watching things around and listening the rain falling and trying to enter on the closed doors and windows. It was very intimidating for a puppet.

He was bought months later by a young-looking girl from Russia. She was very cute and had round cheeks, her hair was brown and her eyes were also very dark. Ivan liked her.

She grabbed him with care and wanted him immediately. He was stunned and she played every day with him making him smile wider and his eyes turn brighter, she was so nice that even got him a family.

He had two sisters, one big and one younger that sometimes passed for his lover because she had no other dolls. Other times the old would be his wife and the young his daughter. That made his heart swell, if that could be truth he would never be alone again but they were mere puppets, dolls. They didn't move or talked like him, they were not _different_.

One day the girl said she was in love and decided to give Ivan a heart to feel love. She made a rag pinkish heart and stuck it inside his clothing and he _felt_.

He felt how important she was to him, how needed and useful she made him feel. For that he was glad.

But time goes by and one day she simply placed him on the shell.

He passed years gazing and waiting for her and his heart fell for the first time when he realised she would never come for him again.

She created a family and then a new child grew. Another young girl very similar with her mother but that didn't like Ivan because he was old, dusty and intimidating.

He felt sad and broken.

Then the mother brought home another puppet, a young-looking one. The one he envies when they play, the blond puppet near the window.

His heart fell so hard it made a rip on the rag.

.

He kept gazing the window feeling melancholic when he saw something move.

There was another puppet, a new shinny one.

The puppet was tanned and blond dressed in clothes so much different from his and the ones he saw on the store and shelves through the years. He had blue perceptive eyes hidden in empty frames and Ivan almost wished he could be different too but soon was disappointed.

They never moved or talked, they were not like him, _different_.

The shadow moved again and stood stretching and Ivan had to catch himself from moving or opening his mouth. The puppet was indeed _moving_!

The puppet was moving like he was able to and his fake hand-made sketch of a heart popped out falling down to his lap.

He swallowed hard and didn't know what to do.

For once he saw someone like him move but he was afraid. What if he was mean like that kid that tried to cut his eyes? What if he simply doesn't talk or dislikes him not wanting to be his friend.

He suppressed the need to grab his heart and kept watching the puppet that bounced and looked at the window pointing at the stars.

Soon, too soon for Ivan, light started to grow on the horizon and the puppet sat on his proper place, then stood firm and immobile like nothing had happened.

Ivan felt saddened, caught quickly his rag sketch of a heart and placed it on his chest as the nervous feeling grew and stayed through the day.

.

Morning was lonely and bright as usual.

The young woman, once his dearest young girl walked to the room, grabbed her things and started talking to a younger woman. She was a mother now and had many responsibilities, or so Ivan imagined from is long gone plays.

She started telling that new young woman what to do, giving orders and she only nodded and looked thoughtful taking notes.

When she left the young woman started cleaning.

For once in months he was cleaned by someone, and she had a small smile on her face making him feel _wanted_.

But when he felt hope growing she placed him again on the once dirty shelf.

He wondered if he was being left to rot and die but then he realised that perhaps puppets don't die. That pained him harder.

The end of the day came quickly and the young girl, daughter of his previous owner sat at the window reading and murmuring a few things to her new puppet.

Ivan felt jealous again, he simply wanted someone to talk to him, to befriend and need him.

He felt sad and a tear threatened to fall but no tears could fall.

Once again his rags and cloth made him realise how different from humans he is.

He grew to hate _feeling different_.

Two days passed with the same intensity and events.

Morning would come and the mother would make a few calls or use something from the room or the little girl would come and read, pay with the blonde puppet and keep ignoring him and in the night the blonde puppet would explore the room with the curiosity of a child.

Ivan would simply watch it all very still while wondering what would happen if he moved.

One day he ventured to move.

He was still very wary and suspicious of the other puppet, he could have bad intentions yes? Or he could simply make the young girl throw Ivan away… that thought made him shudder internally so he simply moved his fingers trying to gain courage to move the rest.

Next day he moved a whole hand; he was about to move his arms when the morning light peaked through the window stopping his resolve and making him still again.

Days after he decide to move his legs; he was about to stand when a loud voice froze him in place.

''Oh My GOD! You can move!'' a loud, _too loud_, voice said and he kept still hoping it would make him disappear. It didn't.

''Yeah, you! I saw you moving dude!'' the blonde puppet was near him and Ivan wondered for a moment how he climbed the shelf.

Ivan swallowed again and turned slowly to the blue eyed blond who was grinning like a fool.

''I knew I was not the only one here! Dude, this is awesome!'' the blond kept talking and he simply flushed blinking until the puppet looked at his face too closely and frowned.

''You know how to talk, right?''

''Da.'' Ivan answered and he blinked.

''What?''

''Yes.'' He tried again and the blonde grinned.

''This is so awesome! Why didn't you moved before? Damn, I was all lonely here not cool bro!'' he started talking eagerly and sat on the edge of the shelf swaying his rag legs.

Ivan mimicked the action hoping it was the right thing to do and apparently it was if the huge grin on the other puppet face was any indication.

''I'm Alfred Jones, made in England but brought to the U.S.A when a very recent rag puppet! And you?''

Ivan flushed at the attention and said in a childish, much more levelled and low voice. ''I am Ivan and the Russian woman brought me here many years ago but I do not know from where I come… I forgot it…'' he said trying to remember but he could only remember it was a European country. Perhaps France?

The loud blonde kept talking to him and informing him about all the awesome things and the not so awesome like rotten burger, whatever that was, and lost money and Ivan simply nodded listening carefully to him.

When the morning came Alfred said goodbye and walked to his place and Ivan stood noticing that at some point his hand-made heart had fallen again.

.

Day after day they talked. They talked about everything since the window in front of them and the countless stars behind it to their lives. Puppet strange lives, where they would simply stay still and be used by children feeling rather accomplished with that but strangely empty, were not a good topic they soon realised.

Alfred was very loud and talked excitedly about everything making Ivan not feel so alone and Alfred thought Ivan was nice to him and made him feel needed when the girl was away.

One day they found they had the same creator. The green-eyed man with huge eyebrows distinct accent and that whispered and murmured enchantments while making every puppet with love and precision.

Ivan asked Alfred about their old owner and Alfred talks about him excitedly demonstrating how much he looked up to that human, the man who created him. It seems the man made him to torment his lover, he had said _'make him with your gorgeous green eyes and my beautiful hair'_ so he made him the other way around.

A few days after he was finally made the blue-eyed man died and so his creator will to keep doing dolls. He even left a little one with huge eyebrows unfinished.

Listening to this Ivan felt sad for some reason.

The mood was sullen and they talked about the two owner a few times with longing, after all you never forget your creator, especially one who made you with such care and devotion.

Next day the talk was about something else different and Ivan's chest swollen with warmth, the little rip on his heart seemed smaller too somehow.

Two months later, many talks and a wonderful friendship later Ivan made one mistake, he fell from the shelf.

Alfred freaked out but the morning came and he had to leave him quiet and still on the ground saying ''Keep right there and no one will think a thing about it, they will think it was the wind believe in me, this happened to me before!'' So Ivan did just that.

He stood very still on the ground almost tearing inside.

A dark-haired girl, the young girl that every week cleans the house came and noticed the puppet on the ground. She grabbed Ivan cleaning him and placed him at the window next to Alfred.

That made Ivan delighted and he swears he saw Alfred grin wider at that.

They kept talking lowly in the night as the moon passed its four phases all over again and illuminated the furniture where they were sitting on.

Alfred was like the day he found. He was vibrant, funny, creative, lively and almost sunny. Ivan supposes he was more like the night. Calm, collected but interested in the sun while waiting for it to come and hoping to have some sort of contact with it.

.

Alfred laughs. He laughs a lot but it makes Ivan's heart warm and make him nervous not wanting it to fall out in front of the funny puppet.

He looked at Alfred's attire, a cowboy one but found no heart stick to it and wondered if he had one. He thinks he has because the girl said only kind people have it and Alfred is the kindest puppet he knows. Well, he is the only puppet he knows but he doesn't care, he wouldn't want any other puppet to replace him.

The night was rainy and the mood was sad. Alfred looked at Ivan as he talked about life and Ivan murmured something about feeling lonely.

''I never felt lonely.'' Alfred says making Ivan look into deep curiously perfect blue and waits for the comeback he knows Alfred will make.

''I had a bro when I was made, he was older and almost like me…'' he nods to himself with a nostalgia feeling, ''he was the puppet the hairy guy said he should do but with different eyes.''' with that Ivan remembers the frozen dolls and how he wished them to move.

''We were separated on the store… I guess I miss him…'' he admits softly and Ivan questions himself if Alfred has human emotions. It surely looks like it…

Suddenly he wished to have them but something inside him said he didn't need to wish it and he ignored that thought looking at the cloudy night sky.

''You know, I would like to know how it feels love…'' Alfred muses after a long silence and Ivan chuckles.

''We can not love…''

Alfred turns to him with indignity and makes a heavy motion with his hands.

''But we are _different_!'' he grins with optimism and Ivan grabs his rag legs gazing the big window sadly.

''We can't be _that_ different… Our function is to be here and play tool for someone and nothing more Alfred.'' He says and Alfred turns around not talking to him all the rest of the night making him feel as cold as he was before knowing the blond puppet.

The next night Ivan touched Alfred's arm catching his attention but he played limp.

''Alfred? Alfred talk to me…'' Ivan whined and Alfred whined back.

''NO! You are mean!''

Ivan sighed and sat beside him.

''I'm sorry... I only said what I think…'' he said and Alfred sat quickly pointing a finger to him.

''SEE! We can think so we can also feel! I know it!'' he grinned and Ivan smiled at that.

''How do you know it?'' he asked and Alfred furrowed his pencil made eyebrows.

''Hum… Don't know…'' he admitted sadly and Ivan giggled.

''I was right then.''

''No! I will show you, just wait dude!'' Alfred grinned and Ivan shook his head making the rag bangs sway.

''I will wait for it.''

Three full days passed and the determined blond glared at Ivan with a grin.

''I know how we can feel love!'' he grins very accomplished with himself and Ivan simply raises one amused grey perfectly sketched eyebrow.

''How?'' he asks and Alfred looks at him with embarrassment and mumbles something that Ivan can't understand.

''What?'' Ivan asks curious and Alfred sighs.

''We can try to love each other how our owners did….'' He said sheepishly and Ivan frowned not recalling very well. Are they suppose to yell at each other?

''I don't see how that will help….'' Ivan says truthfully and Alfred is suddenly in front of him.

''We kiss like them ya know? Then we will love each other…'' he nods and Ivan feels his heart strangely tight at that.

''We are puppets…'' he says and Alfred shakes his head.

''We are different, come on! Let's try!'' he says and Ivan can't refuse the pretty face with blue eyes glowing with the moon light.

''Fine… but if it doesn't work you confirm that I am right!'' Ivan grins and Alfred sniffs confidently that Ivan is _always_ wrong.

Alfred shifts closer and blue eyes twinkle making Ivan breath caught on his ragged throat. He feels Alfred's quick breath on his lips and his nose touching his own making him think how warm he feels even being cold and old ragged.

He never realised he breathed too, his breathing holds no warmth as humans, no scent, no function. It only makes him wonder about that but suddenly there is a pressure on his lips and he keeps watching intently Alfred's eyes who keep locked with his and he tries to do the same the other is doing but that only makes them bump lips and smile at the idiotic feeling they were having. They are puppets, not humans.

Ivan feels sad about that, he wanted to know how would feel if they were humans with emotions and functional bodies. Suddenly he realised that maybe they already had feelings, it made sense, they could think and they both admitted deep thoughts like the ones the little girl used to say so perhaps… Alfred is right on this one.

''Did you felt?'' Ivan asks after they parted and Alfred blinks his blue eyes in confusion.

''I guess so, don't you?'' he asks and Ivan smiles a bit at that, maybe they were different humans but made in rags because he still feels the pink rag on his pearl cold rag.

''I think so… I felt you.'' Ivan states and Alfred licks his lips dryly with his pinkish little rag tongue.

''Wanna do it again?'' he asks and Ivan finds himself nodding.

Soon Alfred was again touching his lips with his own and he was making the same as it grew more fluid and not only a bump of rags but a search for something deep down. Dry pieces of cloth fought and searched on the other's cavern and Alfred shifted back laughing and making Ivan wonder if he did something wrong.

''This is awesome ya know?'' he said and Ivan felt himself warming against all odds.

''I enjoyed it…'' Ivan simply said and Alfred looks thoughtful for a while.

''I used to watch them ya know, they would touch each other and look very pleased with it… they used to do it a lot too…'' he says and Ivan nodded guessing that was truth, he saw them kissing a few times too but it was wet and suspiciously led to things he never had the time to wonder because they moved from the room.

Suddenly there's a rag hand on his and he looks to his side as his heart falls again.

''That happens a lot dude…'' Alfred says looking at the badly made rag heart that held no rip anymore and Ivan simply flushed and nodded.

They felt. They were different puppets that felt.

They felt each other and shared feelings of companionship, caring and other sweet feelings that made them feel close to each other and not so different from humans.

That was fulfilling for Ivan and secretly all Alfred wished for.

Every day two rag puppets would lose their colour as the sun hit the window that separate them from the world and every night they would talk and watch the starts together hoping that the feelings they got with each other never rip or torn apart as their rags kept fading and unstitch.

* * *

Notes:

This is fanfiction and if my puppets want to kiss they will kiss! *laughs* don't argue with an eccentric person like me!

I thank you for reading, favourite or reviewing.


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